1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a lignocellulose-based molded product and a process of making the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, for automotive molded resin components and the like, oil-derived thermoplastic and thermosetting resins are used. For example, automotive ash trays are molded from phenolic resin or the like mixed with wood chips, fibers or the like.
Products molded from oil-derived materials such as phenolic resin, however, increases the Earth's carbon dioxide when burned. In addition, phenolic resin or the like contains free phenol and formaldehyde, and therefore may produce substances harming the human body.
Thus, a technology has been developed, according to which molded products similar to thermosetting resin products are obtained by subjecting plant-derived lignocellulose-based material to steam treatment, drying and pulverization, successively, and then molding it by applying heat and pressure (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-165844, for example).
The products molded only from lignocellulose-based material are, however, inferior in water non-absorbing property and low in moisture resistance, and therefore not suitable as automotive molded resin components since they undergo deformation such as expansion when used as automotive products.
Further, lignocellulose-based material has a problem that it does not allow molding into complicated shapes, since heat applied to lignocellulose-based material in powder form changes only a small part of it into fluid form.
Also with the products molded from lignocellulose-based material mixed with another common thermoplastic, thermosetting or biodegradable resin, there are problems such that common thermoplastic and thermosetting resins are derived from oil, and that thermoplastic and biodegradable resins do not react with lignocellulose-based material, which accounts for the mixed material's inferior mechanical property and the molded products' inferior durability.